From knock-off Nikes to dildos and glasses, here are Shanghai's best speciality markets.
Hongqiao International Pearl City
Come for Freshwater pearls
Sandwiched between two floors of fakes, the second floor of Hongqiao International Pearl City is home to a string of reasonably priced jewellery stores. The main attraction here are (unsurprisingly) the pearls, and the boutiques offer mostly freshwater pearls in all shapes, colours and sizes. With minimal haggling, you can get simple string-of-pearl and drop-pearl necklaces from 120-150RMB; small studs from 10RMB; and bracelets from 50RMB – prices jump up if you’re looking for saltwater pearls. If pearls aren’t your jam, there’s many more gems to be found, like semi-precious stone and jade jewellery and more – keep an eye out for the bargain buckets offering discounted jewellery from 5RMB.
3721 Hongmei Lu, near Yanan Lu, Changning district. Open 10am-9pm daily. 长宁区虹梅路3721号, 近延安路
Tianshan Tea City
Come for All the tea in China (almost)
A multi-level tea metropolis Tianshan Tea City is home to more than 150 shops and stalls all selling vast varieties of Chinese tea and everything that goes with it. Exploring this vast tea-vending labyrinth, you’ll find stores selling various kinds of loose-leaf tea including favourites such as oolong, Longjing and black tea, as well as an assortment of fruit and health varieties. Prepare to be semi-tea ceremonied – many places will brew some tea for you to try before you buy – and do your research before you go. While most standard 500g bags range from 35 to 100RMB, some shop owners may try to exorbitantly raise the rates for noobs.
520 Zhongshan Xi Lu, near Yuping Lu, Changning district. Open 9am-8.30pm daily. 长宁区中山西路520号, 近玉屏
South Bund Fabric Market
Come for Custom-made clothing
There are plenty of pretenders, but the South Bund reigns supreme when it comes to fabric and tailors at reasonable prices. Sprawling three floors, the market stocks pretty much every fabric you’ll ever need with silk, cashmere, cotton, chiffon, denim and more lining the walls. In general, tailoring costs are cheap here, so how much you spend depends on your fabric of choice, but you’re looking at around 1,000RMB for a suit, 300RMB for a dress, 150RMB for jeans and 100RMB for a shirt. Bring an old item you want copied or a reference image of something you’ve seen in the shops, and chances are you’ll get it made here for a fraction of the cost.
399 Lujiabang Lu, near Zhongshan Nan Lu, Huangpu district. Open 9am-6pm daily. 黄浦区陆家浜路399号, 近中山南路
Kaixuanmen Health Care Products Market
Come for Sex toys and TCM
TCM and sex toys come together under one roof at this seemingly inconspicuous market. The first three floors of Kaixuanmen Dasha are dedicated to everything TCM, selling the likes of ginseng root, cordyceps and goji berries. The fourth and final floor, however, is home to a low-rent version of what we imagine 50 Shades author E L James had in mind when scribing Christian Grey’s sex toy collection – with sex swings and harnesses, rubber vaginas, giant dildos and more out on display. But among the haphazardly assembled, cheap-looking pleasure aids, there are some great finds, including Pretty Love and Lelo vibrators and all kinds of Durex condoms.
428 Tianmu Zhong Lu, near Xizang Lu, Zhabei district. Open 9am-5pm daily. 闸北 区天目中路428号,近西藏路
Shanghai Art Equipment Market
Come for Graphics, painting and stationery supplies
A street peppered with stationery shops of all sizes, Fuzhou Lu is also home to the Art Equipment Market. Whether you’re a practising artist or just on the hunt for some stationery, chances are you can find it fairly cheap here. The first floor is where you can pick up all your big brand names in the stationery world, with the likes of Sharpie, Pentel and Zebra on offer. Moving up through the floors (of which there are three), you’ll find an assorment of very reasonably priced graphic pens, watercolour palettes, calligraphy sets, easels, canvasses and sketchbooks – to name a few.
402 Fuzhou Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu, Huangpu district. Open 9am-5pm daily. 黄浦区福州路402号, 近陕西南路
Hotel Equipment Company
Come for Far too many utensils for your tiny kitchen
If you’re moving into a new apartment, you need some new kitchenware, or you just really love utensils and cooking tools, this market is the city’s best one-stop solution. Like IKEA but better, the expansive warehouse carries absolutely everything – and we mean absolutely everything – you’ll need to stock your kitchen cupboards, set the dining table or set up your own streetside chao fan cart. Pick up restaurant-grade knives, crystal glassware or even traditional Japanese noren (curtains). Prices tend to be a little higher than the likes of IKEA, but you can trust that the goods will last longer.
345 Aomen Lu, near Jiangning Lu, Putuo district. Open 9am-5.30pm daily. 普陀区澳 门路345号,近江宁路
AP Plaza
Come for Great-quality knock-offs
A trip to AP Plaza will remind you exactly why you love living in China. One of Shanghai’s few remaining truly great fake markets, this Aladdin’s cave offers all the knock-off clothing, accessories and souvenirs you could dream of. Fear not, there are no questionable ‘Mikes’, ‘Wans’ or ‘Babidas Spam Smiths’ here. Snag reasonable quality fake-branded trainers (Vans, Nikes, Converse), ‘Beats’ headphones and ‘Hunter’ rain boots for 150RMB or less. Luxury fakery is also available, hidden within the rabbit warren of market stores where, if you ask, you’ll find almost-real Louis Vuitton or Gucci handbags for around 200-250RMB. Market rules apply here, so haggle hard, start at 10 percent of the asking price and never pay more than 30 percent of the original price. Shanghai Science & Technology Museum
Station, 2000 Shiji Dadao, near Yingchun Lu, Pudong. Open 10am-8pm daily. 浦东世 纪大道2000号, 近迎春路
Qiujiang Lu Electronics Market
Come for Nearly every electronic knick-knack going
What at first looks like a cross between the contents of a dumpster round the back of Suning and the place where electrical items go to die, this collection of stalls is a utopia of electronic gadgets, appliances and devices. The large array of shops sell almost every electrical appliance you can imagine – speakers, printers, monitors, portable chargers, lamps, laptops, phones, TVs, adapters, HDMI cables, headphones, washing machines – you name it. As with all markets, vendors are often willing to part ways with their stock at a discounted price – as long as your bargaining is respectful, of course.
500-526 Qiujiang Lu, near Sichuan Bei Lu, Hongkou district. Open 9am-8pm daily (some stalls vary). 虹口区虬江路500-526 号, 近四川北路
3 Yeh Optical Market
Come for Sun and sight glasses in all shapes and sizes
If you’re after new set of specs or sunglasses, without wanting to burn a hole in your pocket, 3 Yeh is the right place for you. Sprawling two floors of the Huanlong Station South Square Mall, there’s a pair of glasses for every face and occasion – from vintage frames, to the steel square frames of the early noughties, to edgy pentagonal designs. Most frames seem to start from 60RMB, while the price of lenses depends on your sight (eye tests are available). Still, the majority of vendors are willing to haggle, with glasses averaging around 200-250RMB per pair.
Fourth and Fifth Floor, Huanlong Station South Square Mall, 360 Meiyuan Lu, near Moling Lu, Zhabei district. Open 9am-7pm. 闸北区梅园路360号, 近秣陵路. Multiple locations across Shanghai.
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